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Memorial Day:
A Time To Remember
~Joshua 4:1-7~
William S. Epps, Senior Pastor
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When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.” 4Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” Joshua 4:1-7
Introduction
The idea of memorials has prevailed among all kinds of people from the earliest times. The Old Testament contains a record of many memorials. The greatest of these was the day set apart to commemorate the safety of the people of Israel from the destroying angel and their deliverance from bondage. Year by year, generation by generation, this occasion was ordered set apart, as a time of joyous gratitude to God (Exodus 12:14). God realizes that we often forget what has been done for us.
In Deuteronomy 6:12, Moses issued a final warning to Israel just before they entered the promise land, “beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt…” The meaning of the Hebrew word for memorial (v. 7) is “to remember.”
Given our propensity to forget it is little wonder that memorials have frequently played an important role in biblical history. At the foot of Mt. Sinai, Moses built an altar of stones to commemorate God’s covenant with Israel (Ex. 12:14).
Another memorial was erected when Joshua led the people of Israel across the Jordan River. Remember, the water stopped flowing just as the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the water at the river’s edge. Then, they stood in the middle of the river until the people had crossed safely into the Promised Land. While they were crossing, Joshua told 12 men, one from each of the 12 tribes, to go into the middle of the riverbed and select 12 large stones. They brought those stones up onto the riverbank and made a monument out of them there.
In Joshua 4:6-7 Joshua tells them, “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the
Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
Consider what it means to have memorials of significant
experiences in your life.
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Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. There are some things we should always remember. Memorials remind us of those things. Memorials remind us of the investment of previous generations. Memorials remind us of the sacrifice others have made. Memorials remind us of what we owe to those who come after us. Most importantly, memorials remind us of what God has done for us. We should always remember events and experiences; we should always remember individuals; we should always remember what God has done for us. We cherish the memory of those who died to preserve the freedoms we enjoy. We remember those families who have lost loved ones who died preserving our freedom. We remember the wounded warriors who live with the evidence of the sacrifice they made for our freedom.
Consider what it means to have memorials that remind you
of what has been done to make your life better.
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This passage of scripture from Joshua reminds us that we should remember what the Lord had done for us.
Notice that according to verse one, “when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the LORD gave more specific instructions in verses 2-5, “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, (3) and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’” (4) Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; (5) and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel.”
According to these verses, twelve men chosen earlier (3:12) were to go back to where the priests were standing in the middle of the river, holding the ark. Each man was to pick up a large rock or stone from the middle of the Jordan and carry it to the side of the river where Israel would camp in the land of Canaan.
Consider what it means that you participate in commemorating
what has been done for you at a special moment in time.
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First, the memorial stones were to be a reminder of their experience of what the Lord has done in your life.
“And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” (v. 7)
Notice that in verse six this memorial will cause the children to ask; “What do these stones mean to you?” These stones are first of all to be a reminder to those who were present of their personal experiences, what they saw, heard and felt. “Tell your story, keep a clear memory of what God did for you. Keep on telling your stories so that you never lose your own sense of awe and wonder of what God has done in your life.”
There are memories of experiences, of God’s answering prayers and of God’s marvelous hand of provisions, as well as God’s providence at work in our lives.
There are memories of places; places that trigger memories just as the memorial stones. Places are associated with experiences and incidents. Remember the experiences and incidents of your encounters with the Lord.
Remember the things God has done in your life. There are memories of people.
People are associated with emotions and feelings. There are memories of people who God has used in your life. A mentor, a friend, an associate, a partner or a random meeting that brought insight that was useful which has been beneficial in your life.
There are also mementos, the keepsakes we gather. Mementos are those souvenirs we like to get as a reminder of the sensation that was ignited once upon a time. Memories of unforgettable moments whose lasting impressions have made of life all that we could imagine it could be.
The Lord knows how we think and act, so the Lord instructed Joshua to build a memorial so that each time the Israelites saw it they would be reminded that they had not crossed the Jordan on their own ability, in their own strength, but because of what the Lord had done.
As you remember the memorials of your life, remember the faithfulness of the Lord’s constant and abiding presence in your life.
The composer put it in the following words, O what he’s done for me I never shall forget what he’s done for me. Think of the experiences of your sojourn in life and how your faith in the Lord has sustained and maintained you in all of life’s changing scenes.
Consider what it means to remember what the Lord has done for you.
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Secondly, the memorial stones were to serve as a basis of sharing faith with their children. (vv. 6-7).
In two places in this chapter, parents are reminded of their responsibility for the communication of God’s Word and his calling on their children, generation to generation. In verses 6-7, “this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ (7) Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”
And again in verses 21-23, “Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ (22) then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; (23) for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.
As with other memorials in the Old Testament, the intention of the memorial was to provoke questioning especially from future generations. Each generation has an obligation to pass on the meaning of their experience of the faithfulness of God to the next generation. God’s warning to Israel was not to let the environment of the society that surrounded determine to usurp their allegiance, faith and loyalty to the Lord. Be a faithful to God as God has been faithful to you.
Deuteronomy 6:12-15 is a constant reminder not to forget that the Lord bought out of the land of Egypt / “then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (13) You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. (14) You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you (15) (for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth”.
Forgetting what the Lord had done leads to making choices with destructive consequences. Imagine all the destruction and disruption that are caused by decisions of persons who have forgotten what the Lord did for them - how He freed them to be the His people, who mimic what the Lord is like and what the Lord does. That's what
it means to go after other gods.
Consider what it means that forgetting and failing to
remember what has been done brings about consequences
that destroy and disrupt and deny you of the what you seek:
safety, security and satisfaction.
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Third, the memorial stones were to be a time of renewing our commitment to the Lord.
Verse 8 “And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.”
Joshua not only issued the order for the men to go back, but he personally joined them as they made their journey back to the center of the riverbed. Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood. But it seems that while the men were carrying their stones back to the shore, Joshua personally picked up another twelve stones and built a memorial in the very center of the riverbed, as a personal act of worship.
For Joshua this was a very private act. It was also representative of a pivotal point
in his walk with God. Look back over the life you have lived and see how the Lord has delivered individually, communally, culturally and politically.
Once the twelve men have carried twelve stones to the shore of Canaan, and after Joshua has built his altar in the middle of the river, he commanded the priest to finished crossing the river with the Ark of the Covenant. Verse fifteen, “Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, (16) “Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.” (17) Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.” (18) And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before.”
The moment that the feet of the priest touched the other side, the wall of water that had piled up for miles, back up the river came crashing back into place.
Not only was it a time of renewal of your continued commitment, it was a time of rolling old defeats away. “Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. (20) And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.”
It is significant that this happened on the tenth day of the first month, this is exactly forty years to the day since Israel marched out of Egypt.
Roll away the defeats of yesterday, the bondage, the captivity, the abuse and mistreatment, the neglect and insensitivity and you name it. You see there are some things that you need to leave behind: the negativity that subjugated you as you embrace the positivity that has liberated you. The Lord always takes you forward from where you were to where the Lord wants you to go. The Lord moves you beyond the past, through the present, to the future that provides a new life for you.
Leaving the edge of the river, the Israelites went to a place called Gilgal to make their camp. Gilgal was “on the eastern border of Jericho" (v. 19). Gilgal means “the reproach has been rolled away.” Forty years of spiritual defeat and failure have been rolled away. It was the dawn of a great new beginning in a new land. The days of sullen refusal to respond to God under Moses were gone, complaining was ended, hopeless wandering in the wilderness was behind them. They were now a people with a powerful new sense of purpose, determined to take new territory with God.
Likewise, for the believer today we should be able to look back and see those monumental occasions which standout as times in which God has changed our direction and given us new hope and a new sense of purpose and a new reality that claims our energy and life. A time when we, by an act of bold faith, decide to abandon ourselves to God and step out into the unknown to embrace and receive the new possibilities of fulfillment with all that it brings.
The monument that was built with those twelve stones was to serve as a visible reminder of the faithfulness of God. It was also a silent monument to the special day on which the people of God boldly placed their feet in the surging, rushing current of the Jordan, confident that God would see them to safety on the other side.
Consider what it means that memorials are a time of renewing our commitment as well as rolling old defeats away so that they have no sway in our future.
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Conclusion
Memorials remind us what God has done for us.
Memorials reflect on the investment of previous generations and their sacrifices which have benefited us all.
Memorials remind us what we owe to those who come after us.
Precious memories how they linger, how they ever flood my soul.
In the stillness of the midnight sacred mysteries do unfold.
Precious memories, how they linger, / How they ever
How they ever Flood my soul, Flood my soul
In the stillness Lord, in the stillness Of the midnight The midnight
Precious sacred scenes unfold / Sacred, sacred, he’ll unfold,
oh yeah, yes He will.
Consider the memories that cause sacred scenes of what
has happened to bless your life unfold.
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